Temperature-dependent energy levels of electrons on liquid helium

We present measurements of the resonant microwave absorption by the Rydberg energy levels of surface state electrons on the surface of superfluid liquid helium, in the frequency range 165 - 220 GHz. The resonant frequency was strongly temperature dependent from 0.1 to 2 K. The experiments are in agreement with recent theoretical calculations of the renormalisation of the electron energy levels due to zero-point and thermal ripplons, analogous to a condensed matter Lamb shift. The temperature-dependent contribution to the linewidth for excitation to the first excited state at 189.6 GHz is compared with other measurements and theoretical predictions.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

Spin-Polarization in Magneto-Optical Conductivity of Dirac Electrons

A mechanism is proposed based on the Kubo formula to generate a spin-polarized magneto-optical current of Dirac electrons in solids which have strong spin-orbit interactions such as bismuth. The ac current response functions are calculated in the isotropic Wolff model under an external magnetic field, and the selection rules for Dirac electrons are obtained. By using the circularly polarized light and tuning its frequency, one can excite electrons concentrated in the spin-polarized lowest Landau level when the chemical potential locates in the band gap, so that spin-polarization in the magneto-optical current can be achieved.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure